Sentence variety checker
See the rhythm of your writing: one bar per sentence, with monotonous runs and repeated sentence openers flagged so you know exactly where to vary structure.
Hover or tab to a bar to read the sentence.
Good variety: your rhythm changes pace.
Repeated openers: “the” ×6
Hear the difference
Gary Provost’s well-known passage makes the point in its own form: “This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous.” Then he lengthens and shortens, and the prose starts to sing.
Toggle between the two profiles. The flat one averages 11 words with almost no spread, which is the profile of a first draft written one idea per sentence. The varied one has the same total length but alternates quick, medium and long sentences.
Four quick ways to vary structure
- Combine two short sentences with a subordinate clause: Because the sample was small, …
- Open with a transition or a prepositional phrase instead of the subject.
- Follow a long, qualified sentence with a short one that states the point.
- Turn a list of sentences into one sentence with a series, or a colon.
CV ≈ 0.07: every sentence hits the same beat.
Questions
Why does sentence variety matter?
Readers take in prose as rhythm. A run of sentences of the same length and shape reads as flat and makes it hard to tell which points matter; a short sentence after long ones lands with emphasis. Writing handbooks from Strunk and White to the Purdue OWL recommend varying both length and structure.
What does the coefficient of variation mean?
It is the standard deviation of your sentence lengths divided by the average length. Under 0.3 means most sentences are nearly the same length; 0.5 or more means a lively mix. Published academic prose commonly falls around 0.4 to 0.6.
What is a repeated opener?
The same first word starting 20% or more of your sentences, most often “The”, “This” or “It”. Varying openers with a transition, a dependent clause or a prepositional phrase fixes it quickly.
What is an ideal average sentence length?
For academic writing, an average of 15–25 words is common. Averages above 30 usually mean some sentences should be split; below 12, the prose may feel choppy.